Book Review: Zombie Days by TL Bodine
Forget everything you know about zombie stories...okay, good work. Well, maybe not everything. Can you get some of that back? Look, a lot of people are sick of zombies, and for the most part I'm one of them. Brian Keene did something with The Rising almost twenty years ago and the Walking Dead captured audiences when it premiered but it's been all downhill since. Sure there have been some bright spots in all the darkness, but overall - pass.
Enter T.L. Bodine with River of Souls. The novel promises a fresh spin on zombie tropes and, lo and behold, it absolutely delivers. By the time we enter the story, the world has already been established. The dead began to come back to life, so here begins the apocalypse, right? Nope. Instead a vaccine dubbed "Lazarus" is developed which curbs the trademark taste for flesh and allows deceased loved ones to remain among their family.
Davin Montoya, our main character, is dealing with the death, resurrection, and, ultimately, the commitment to a nursing home of his father. That's when his life gets flipped, turned upside down. I'd consider it spoiler territory to give any more synopsis, but Bodine makes a bold and surprising choice that makes the novel very effective.
River of Souls is injected with social commentary throughout. Depending on how you read into it, you can see statements about racism, immigration, or even care/respect for our elderly. If that's not your thing, no worries. The characterization is the strongest suit. Davin is a complete three-dimensional character whose head we get to spend 200 pages in, and he's not even the best part. The most endearing part of the story is Davin's sister, Zoe. She's a firecracker, a lot of fun to read, and has a very complete arc to boot.
If you like a good zombie story, but you feel like you've been there, done that, give River of Souls a shot.
Review by Brennan LaFaro
Blog: http://brennanlafaro.wordpress.com
Twitter: @whathappensnex5
I received this eBook from the author for review consideration.
